


Wake Up, Dude - Grahamscott

by wade_not_wilson



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: 7 minutes in heaven baybay, Alcohol, Angst, Arcadia Bay, ButterflyEffect, Capture, Drugs, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fire, Gay, Grahamscott, Heavy Angst, Hospital, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Mental Illness, Non-Consensual Drug Use, The Dark Room, autistic warren graham, captured trope, gay realisation, hostage, idkwhatelsetotag, mlm written by a mlm, nathan deals with stuff, slowburn, teen drama, trigger warnings for chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:14:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29687964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wade_not_wilson/pseuds/wade_not_wilson
Summary: After Arcadia was ruined by the storm, things slowly started to piece themselves together. Max left Arcadia with Chloe to explore the US, run from the storm, and escape life as they knew it. Jefferson was arrested, of course, but as Nathan Prescott originally was his accomplice, his life and trusted friends at Blackwell had completely broken down.Warren wasn’t going to let that get between him becoming friends with Nathan, because God knew that they had to establish some form of a relationship to work together on their photography work. Unfortunately, Nathan isnt quite ready to let go of the past, a past that Warren seems to be a lot more oblivious to than the pair thought.
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price, Warren Graham/Nathan Prescott
Comments: 2
Kudos: 19





	1. Catchin’ Up

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! okay, i’m @wade.not.wilson on instagram, and i do a fair amount of fan art for grahamscott so go checkit- when it comes to writing , i do like to be graphic, however there will be chapter warnings for tw and certain topics that may be sensitive for readers :(

The sun glazed over Blackwell Academy like nothing had ever changed, the sun shining through the windows into the classrooms and hallways. It shone on the trees and the grass, which was just about visible from the classrooms the students all sat in. The specks of sun seemed to bring the grass back up, the grass waving towards the sun in the sea breeze. The trees rustled, dancing in the wind that had been restored, or at least, which trees were left. However, the halls and classes were quiet. Arcadia Bay fixed itself, but… The silence from the students was deafening. It had been around a week since the storm, and waves of news flashed all over the school. Jefferson had been arrested for all of his extremely weird crimes, leaving behind a trail of destruction. It left a rift in Blackwell, and it was one that Max didn’t stay to see. Max had decided that she was going to run away from the storm, travel America with Chloe, and enjoy her life the best possible way that she could. 

However, that left one person behind. Warren.  
Warren didn't want to waste the money coming from his fathers pocket towards his scholarship, so he stayed at Blackwell, whereas many students left for their homes and stayed there. Yet, as he sat on the desk, the sun shone onto his face, giving beautiful orange tones to the mess of hair that was on his head. Of course he hadn’t bothered to brush it, he never did. He sat back out of the ray of the sun for a bit to stare at the board that his new teacher was presenting from. It was all too surreal or some people, but for Warren, who was sitting in her old seat after taking up the photography course she left a vacancy for, didn't even scratch the surface.

“I’m glad to be announcing that due to the disruption this year, all of your final pieces will be graded in groups. I'll be assigning you the groups, and for the rest of the year you will both work together to minimise the tasks you are given-“ She said, starting to list off the names of the people in their class. Victoria and Stella, a new bunch of new students were also listed, such as a student named Wade was going to work with a new student named Hannah. 

Warren sat back, realising. There were only two names left. His own… 

And Nathan Prescott. 

After Jefferson’s arrest, Nathan was immediately cast from most involvement with the Vortex club, drove away to his dorm for most of the time. Nathan was never even acknowledged by the students of Blackwell, and because of Nathan having admitted to being an accomplice to Jefferson with no idea of ‘his true intent’, he got let off with probation. Warren couldn’t help but feel bad for the guy. Yeah sure, they’d caught a few times, but even then… He felt bad. The poor boy had no one, and again, Warren couldn’t help but feel sad for him. 

“Warren Graham and Nathan Prescott are the last pair on my list. Each semester you’ll get a stimulus-'' She carried on explaining, but Warren felt his gaze over at Nathan, watching him sit there in his seat, drawing in his text book angrily, gripping the pencil so hard that Warren believed it was going to snap if he didn’t stop. He gave a soft sigh, finding himself getting up and moving to sit next to Nathan, receiving a glare as he set his things down on the desk. 

Warren swallowed the lump in his throat, giving Nathan a small smile. His smile was of course cut off by a scowl.  
“Rules, I don't work with people and you're no exception. Ill take the stimulus and do it myself, we are not working together.” Nathan explained, pointing the blunt pencil at Warren’s face, who held his hands up in defence  
“Dude… We need to work together. That’s what Mrs Patricks said.” He gave a soft frown, watching Nathan’s intense blue eyes. 

A huff came from the boy, immediately placing his pencil down at his own self reminder of his probation.  
“Fine. But I take the pictures, you do the course work.” He said in his usual ordering tone. Warren made a mental note to talk when they were into the work, but he agreed for then, just to make the boy happy. Nathan went back to scribbling angrily, ignoring Warren’s attempts to interact or discuss the new brief. Warren gave the biggest sigh when the brief landed on their table, the words in big letters. 

Love. 

That was their stimulus? Surely there had to be a cooler brief for them to do, and he could feel Nathan practically convulsing at the word. He didn’t ask why, leaving him to twitch in his seat and poke his pencil through the pages. 

“Okay Warren, it's simple… Find people that love each other, use the techniques, easy pass?” He spoke to himself, messing with the sleeve of the red long arm t-shirt as he blabbed away to himself. The blond gave a huff in annoyance at his rambles, flicking his head towards him.

“Another rule, no talking. At all.” Snapped Nathan, stabbing his book. 

This wasn't going to be the easiest last semesters, especially when working with the overthrown King of Blackwell. The hour passed slowly, each minute that Warren sat next to Nathan, he could feel his side being burnt by the intensity of the glares he was being given. Great. 

The bell rang for the lesson to finally end, Nathan grabbing his things quickly and slinging his bag over his shoulder, almost ready to bolt out of the door like he was being burnt standing on the classroom floor. Warren gave him a friendly smile towards him, getting up.  
“Maybe you can come to my room later tonight so we can discuss the brief? It doesn't have to be long.” 

After a long glare from the teacher, Nathan rolled his eyes, “Whatever” stifled from his mouth before he left, Warren standing there with a few questions that were left unanswered. He sighed and swung his bag over his shoulder, grabbing his phone from his pocket and starting to walk back to his dorm room, done with his classes for the day. He opened the messenger app, sending a text towards Max. 

‘ Cannot believe this, Max. I got put into photography only for the teacher to turn it into a nightmare! ‘ was sent to Max, fingers tapping the back of his phone as he waited for a reply. By the time he reached his room door, Max sent a text back. Oh yeah, time zones. She was in Florida living it up with Chloe. 

‘ Do I want to know? ‘ She texted back, sending a smile emoji with it too. 

Warren gave a large sigh, relieving the pressure before sending a text. ‘ We’re doing group projects. I got paired with Nathan. ‘ 

‘ No way. ‘

‘ Yes way. He keeps glaring at me and scolding me. It's irritating, but I’m half determined to try to get him to work with me. ‘ Warren sent back, only to be left on read by Max. She was probably just busy with Chloe, or at least he hoped she was. 

His bony fingers tapped at his phone screen, diving into his contacts and sending Nathan a text.  
‘ What time is best for you? It's Warren btw ^^ ‘ He sent, full confidence that Nathan would reply almost immediately. 

Nathan didnt work that way, he sat on his bed, contemplating even reading the text from Warren, tempted to tell him to fuck off. But, any more ‘funny business’ and David was on his ass, expelling him. Nowhere else wanted to take a Prescott after all the accusations and the crimes were printed at them. It wasn’t like that bothered Nathan, nothing around his school work bothered him. What did, however, was his father. He could already see the stern glare he'd be given, he'd be labelled as the family disappointment yet again. 

——

To his own dismay and disbelief, he pulled a shirt and jacket on before moving directly across from his room to knock on Warren’s door. Sure, he didn’t exactly hate the guy, but Nathan couldn’t be seen with a nerd, or at least he couldn’t when everyone was up his ass. He was still just stuck in the same phase and routine as before, be a dick, and let no one think any less of you. It would’ve worked if he wasn't already at rock bottom in people's minds. 

Warren swung the door open almost immediately. He gave Nathan a friendly smile and stood to the side to let him in. Being friendly with him was the best option at that point, hoping that maybe the kindness would just bring Nathan’s guard down the tiniest bit. 

He could hope, right? 

Nathan moved over to the table in the room, blankets and pillows sat around the table, coursework already sprawled against the table. He gave a huff, turning his nose up at the mountains of work Warren still had to do, but reluctantly sat down at the pillow pile. 

“So! What should we do, partner…?” Warren asked with the same smile, sitting next to the pillow pile Nathan had claimed as his throne.  
A scowl came to his face yet again, glaring at Warren “Don't call me partner. We're not working together, i’m only here to help your dumbass.” 

“Geez, man... Didn't hold back there.” Warren gave a nervous chuckle, but he immediately changed the conversation to the work. Nathan didn’t pay one ounce of attention, watching Warren yet hiding his confusion. He was trying the trick of being horrible to get them further away, but Warren didn't seem to care that he was mad. He’d throw the occasional one liner addressing the comment, but he immediately just moved onto the work like Nathan's small outbursts weren’t even a deal at all. Prescott immediately decided he didn't trust him, wanting to know why he was sucking up to him so hard, or why he didn't care that he was being degraded like that. 

But, he even found himself cooperating, listening to what he was saying and occasionally adding the odd ‘hmph’ or ‘no that’s stupid’ to Warren’s comments.

Warren wasn't sure if it was cooperation or enough to do the coursework, but at least Nathan’s glare had softened. That was enough for him. 

A few hours passed, and the blond got up, brushing himself down. He rolled his eyes  
“Don't expect this to happen often, Gayram.” He said, Warren replying with an awkward chuckle  
“Heh, it’s Graham, and if you ever want to study with me, you know where my door is.” Warren offered.  
He was just trying to be helpful! Act like they hadn’t previously fought each other, acting like the black eye was still healing, green and yellow still stained around his eye, healing.

Nathan gave a nod and a grunt, moving back to his own room and slamming the door shut. 

Progress at least? Warren liked to think so, because he didn’t say that he wouldn’t study, he just said that it wouldn’t happen a lot. Anything was good enough for him.


	2. Early Bird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warren wakes up early to have a good start at the day, and maybe invites a friend down to the diner to have a nice breakfast with him.

The next day hadn’t come soon enough, Warren actually finding himself… Excited? To sit in his new photography class. He had no clue as to why, but there was definitely something making him more excited to be there.  
It was an early morning class, about 9am or so, so Warren made sure to wake up early, making his way towards the huge bathroom on campus. He hated to use them half of the time, but in reality it was all they had, he couldn’t just drive home for a shower as tempting as it seemed. 

When Warren swung the bathroom door open, towel in hand and shower stuff in his other, he scoped around the bathroom and checked that the site was empty before venturing inside to take a hot and nice shower. He undressed and hooked his clothes over the railing before taking a shower, standing under the stream of hot water and letting the mop of brown hair on his head slowly go black when wet. He scrubbed his body and face, trying to hide the strawberry scent of his body wash and shampoo. What could he say? He was in touch with his feminine side. He much rather preferred strawberry over ‘naked man scent’ or whatever was on the label bottles. When finished , he dried off and changed into his clean clothes in the cubicle, taking his ash bag and wet towel in his arms as he left. 

On Warren’s way out, he felt a pair of blue eyes on him, watching Nathan move past him quickly to go have a shower himself. So he's an early bird? No wonder he never saw him around on campus. He could’ve sworn he saw a faint redness to Nathan’s face, whether he was angry or embarrassed he could never tell. He decided that it was for the best that he didn't comment and made his way back to his dorm. Great.. There was still an hour and half until his first lesson.

Maybe he could try something. He waited fifteen minutes before texting Nathan, wondering if the blond boy would actually agree. Maybe they could do some extra work.

‘ Wanna go to the Two Whales in 15 minutes? I was thinking we could talk more about the stimulus? It’s Warren, just in case you didn't know :)’ He sent, giving a heavy sigh and pulling on his shoes. If Nathan declined, he wasn't going to care, he just wanted a sweet taste of the chocolate waffles they recently added to the menu. Sure, it was a little early to open up so soon, especially after the storm. But since it was the managers only form of income, they decided to rush the repairs and chance it.  
His phone vibrated and gave off the recent ringtone he’d uploaded, which was just his old cat meowing into the voice recorder, his smile returning at the noise of his ringtone. 

‘ Ur paying. And I kno who it is, disphit, it's called a contact book.’ Nathan had sent through. Usually Warren would feel insulted by that kind of message, but after the night of studying, Warren learnt that Nathan was just foul mouthed… Really foul mouthed. He knew there was no malice to his message. 

‘ Sweet! Cya there in 15!!’ The brunette sent back, grinning as he got up to grab his car keys, setting off for the diner. 

5 minutes early, a new record for him. He walked into the diner and sat down at one of the makeshift tables, everything else practically ruined by damp. A wooden table didn't bother him too much, he just hoped Nathan would be fine with it… Or as much as a posh boy could be.  
Nathan walked in on time, in his usual red jacket and black jeans, a shirt underneath along with a black undershirt. Why was the dude wearing so many layers? HE glanced at Warren, his usual resting bitchface very present as he sat at the wooden bench opposite Warren. 

“Hi! I was actually super scared you wouldn’t turn up.” Warren chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Nathan shot a glare, almost immediately letting his guard up,

“Do you think i’m that much of a dick to agree and then not show up?! I keep to my fucking word, Graham-“ He snapped, watching the brunet just sigh and shake his head. He was trying to think of how to put it. 

“No, it’s because you're a dick, it’s because of all of the road constructions and how early it is.” He played it cool, shrugging. Nathan’s shoulders untensed a little and an ‘oh’ came from his mouth, not saying anything else on the topic. An immediate brush under the rug, Warren noted, not wanting to cause any more rifts between the two. He knew working with Nathan would be hard but he was determined to get a good grade in photography. The sacrifices you make for the subjects you love. 

A waitress with the name tag that read ‘Joyce’ made her way over with her small pad of paper and a pen, greeting both boys with a soft smile. It was something Nathan was taken back by, keeping his face neutral. He wasn't being judged, despite the hanging tag of probation looming over his head in the recent news.  
“What can I get for you two boys?” She asked gently, Warren smiling almost immediately  
“Chocolate waffles with ice cream and sprinkles please.” He said, Joyce happily writing the order along with his drink of coke. A perfect start to the day, with a pound of sugar in his system. Nathan rolled his eyes as Warren listed off his order, looking up at Joyce. 

“Can I just get a coffee? Black, no sugar.” He said, Joyce nodding at that too. 

She gave him a small smile “No food? Or is it just a drink?” She asked just to be sure, Nathan giving a nod.  
“Just a drink.” He confirmed, Joyce finishing writing and leaving the boys to talk. 

A smile was given to Nathan by Warren, who didn't even bother to return it. It was way too early for even civil conversation. Warren didn’t seem phased and just started talking about his plan for the brief, having been thinking over it for quite a long while. He wanted to take a photo of a couple, but they would be photoshopped to look undead, and in the black and white style of what Nathan actually took photos in. Nathan simply nodded along, watching the brunet trail off in his rambles about how cool it would be, or how it matched the olden horror movies like Dawn Of The Dead. 

Nathan picked up at that. Warren liked old… Gory, and horrifically disturbing horror movies? Something that he could most definitely reciprocate. 

It was his turn to play cool, playing the hems of his varsity jacket. “I have the special edition version back in my room. I watch them on my projector.” He said simply, acting like it wasnt the most amazing thing that Warren had heard about his photography partner. The boy gasped loudly, causing a few people to stare at the pair, Nathan’s eyes widening as he watched Warren. He was shaking his hands happily and tapping his feet, grinning softly. 

“Dude! We have to have a movie night!” came from his mouth in a giddy squeal. 

What had he started… 

“No. No way. No one comes in my room at all.” He said sternly, watching the boy’s shoulders drop and his grin turn into a disappointed frown. 

“Aw… Okay. I’m sure I can find a version online.” He said as the frown quickly turned back into a smile. ‘Keep it cool, Warren, you just made yourself look like a nerd…’ He thought to himself. 

“Youre a fucking nerd.” Nathan added, confirming Warren’s suspicions. 

Before he could add another comment, Joyce walked over with their order, the large plate of waffles with ice cream and a coke, and a simple black coffee in a mug.  
“Enjoy!” She gave a happy smile, leaving the pair once again. 

While Warren ate, Nathan found himself talking to him a lot more about their project, actually mentioning a few lighting and frame ideas he had in mind, talking about the lens diffusion to explain it to Warren. It came to Nathan's attention that the boy had no clue about photography, and only took the class to boost his GPA back up after the storm had hit and crushed most of his work. So, he spent some time explaining simple things for Warren. 

Almost like… A tutor. 

That thought ran across his brain as they left the building, shivers going up Nathan’s back at the thought of the word. No, he wasn't Warren’s tutor, but he didn't know what else he was to him. They certainly weren’t friends.

The younger boy looked at Nathan before opening his car, the state of the heaping pile of junk making Nathan cringe at it.  
“I’ll see you in class- We have about 20 minutes before the start of the lesson anyway.” He explained with a smile, waving and driving off. 

Nathan stood there in the car park next to his own car, holding the keys in his finger and thumb. Tutor… The word was so distasteful, and the reminder of it made him feel even worse. 

The Prescott couldn’t show up to photography, not unless he wanted to have a panic attack in front of the whole class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so so much for already getting about 30 hits! its amazing to see what i've gotten over what... maybe 2-3 days!!!  
> woah thank u guys so much!!!!


	3. Home Movies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warren acts on his worries about Nathan, skipping his classes to check on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING- if ur sensitive to the mention of self harm, please skip this chapter if you can. its basically just bonding, but its nice. There’s mention of self harm and body weight, which i know sometime can be a trigger for some people.   
> stay safe lovelies!!

Worry. That’s all Warren could do. 

He was actually surprised at this change in status around Nathan. Warren, sure, he felt guilty, but there was something else he just couldn’t quite name.   
Nathan, even with all of his illnesses and reasonings, he still aided Jefferson. 

He wasn't a bad person, he just did bad things. 

Everyone thought that the probation charges were only that simply because of the power that the family had over the trial. His actions and ‘misdemeanours’ were brushed off due to the manipulation of Jefferson. Max had told Warren that after the court case, that wasn't entirely true, and she knew exactly why his 20 year sentence was shortened down to probation, which didn't even seem like a punishment to the blond. The Prescott family had used Nathan against the judge, claiming that he's a ‘misguided boy’ and that its due to his ‘mental impairments’, as the lawyer put it. That wasn't disclosed to the public due to fear about rumours, but it was very real towards the people in the room and those who were testifying against him. 

Warren knew Nathan wasn't exactly the most mentally healthy, but when she mentioned the risperidone pills she found in his room, that’s when the pity came in.   
He knew he wasn't exactly to blame, and he knew that avoiding taking his pills would’ve caused him to be as erratic as they saw him in that week leading up to the storm. 

Which is why the worry spread across Warren’s face as he sat in photography class. It was 9:25am, and still no sign of Nathan. He didn't care about the blond, of course, it was most definitely nothing like that, Warren just wanted to pass his class.   
By the end of the class, Nathan stil hadn’t made an appearance, which left Warren assuming the worst already. He was on probation… How far could he have gotten?

The bell rang, dismissing the big bundle of students leaving the room to go about their day. Mrs Patricks gave a glance at Warren as he left, turning back to her paperwork. The brunet shrugged the glance off, holding the bag straps as he walked back towards the dormitories, passing the wreckage of broken trees being picked up and buildings being repaired. Arcadia was a mess, and it made him sigh. It tore his heart to see his childhood home look like this, but at least his family were still okay. It hadn’t caused too much of a rift, it just affected people more than it affected Warren. 

Disgusted by the scenery of the dead trees, he headed inside the boy’s dorm and trailed down the corridor. He tried to keep his head down, swiftly making his way to his room to avoid any further suspicion. His keys struggled to come out of his pockets, hands fumbling for them to come out. As he struggled, he glanced over at Nathan‘ s door, seeing his slate covered in red permanent marker ‘psycho’, the exposure of it against the ceiling light making it seem like it was glowing from the wall. Warren sighed, unlocking his door and making his way inside. 

‘I’ll clean his slate after I check on him…” Warren thought. 

——

Let’s just say that Nathan most certainly was not having a good time. He was hunched in his bed, bundled in all of his blankets, and macabre movies playing in the background. He couldn’t help but rock back and forth, still trembling from the overwhelming panic attack he had to go through. 

His mind had gone both blank and numb, but he knew at least one thing, which was to harm himself. A punishment that he thought he most deserved. His arms were red rore from scratching at them with his nails, so hard that he had actually started bleeding. To punish himself further, he turned all of the heating on, AC off, and wrapped himself in all of his blankets to heat himself up. He was already breathing heavily, and the heat just made him pant and sweat profusely.  
Nathan would most likely stay there until he passed out, using that as a reset button for these things came easily. 

His jacket was thrown onto the floor, crumpled up like Nathan had fought enough to get it off. Something Warren noticed as he’d opened the door. 

“Nathan?” He asked hastily, staring over at the blond curls that were just peeking out of the duvet. Warren fanned himself to get some air, moving to the heaters and turning them off, soon opening the windows.   
“Nathan-“ He spoke, only to be cut off with a low growl and something being grumbled behind the duvet. 

A sigh sounded from the tall boy, who just stood over Nathan and peeled away the blankets from his face, “C’mon, stop being silly… You’re going to boil under there.”

“I dont care, fuck off and leave me to boil, Graham-“ Nathan snapped, but he still wasn’t meaning it with any malice. Warren gave the softest of sighs and moved to the projector, deciding to plug in a flash drive. Nathan was about to protest and get up before he saw the opening screen of the very prominent blue castle and a soft tone. A Disney movie, great. Tangled, to be exact

Nathan shot a very large death glare at Warren, who walked around the room tidying things up. He was walking around, folding up the jacket, throwing clothes in his wash basket, and in general just clearing the room for him. It was a fairly big state. 

“Have you taken your meds today?” Warren asked, causing a shocked response from the boy hunched over.

“How the fuck do you kn-“

‘Have you taken your meds today?” He asked again, clearly not wanting to debate that. Nathan huffed and shook his head, peeling the duvet way from his arms, the dried blood sticking to both his arms and the sheets. 

It was like Warren didn't care about any of this, him simply coming over with a few wipes and plasters, taking Nathan’s arms and wiping them down. Of course, much to his protest and wriggling. The brunet’s grip was strong, but also gentle and tender, holding Nathan’s arm as he cleaned the scratches.

“Get off of me!” Nathan squawked as he struggled, eventually just giving up and sitting there with a huff. After a while, Warren finished up, searching for a clean, non sweaty shirt. 

“Hmm… Stay here.” He instructed, moving to the door. Before Nathan could even blink, he was back with a few t-shirt’s in hand. His signature blue shirt with the box on, his stripy grey and black, and a random red Star Wars tee that seemed even a little bit big for Warren. He threw them next to Nathan and smiled,  
“Red is your colour, but I brought some others just in case.” 

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Nathan asked out of the blue, ignoring the song in the background that was playing from the Disney movie.   
“Is it money you want? Drugs? Because all you need to do is fucking ask-“ He stressed, the taller boy cutting him off this time.

“Because you’re in pain, I’m going to help whether or not you like it. I don't want a reward.” He spoke with a shrug, smiling, “I’ll turn around when you put the shirt on, no biggie.”

Blue eyes met brown, one pushed from his glare to a softened gaze at the brown in front of him. A soft huff sounded, and he picked the red t-shirt up. Warren kept his promise, turning around as Nathan peeled his black shirt off and tugged the red one on. Due to Warren being on the chubby side, he always bought bigger shirts. Nathan’s body lacked the belly that Warren had, so the shirt fit like a dress. He sighed and sat himself up against the pillows, watching the movie to avoid the look that Warren was giving him.

No more words were spoken between the boys, both of them sitting against the pillows. Tangled played all the way through, not glitching once (due to the main piracy website that Warren had obtained it from). The blond sat there, his eyes feeling increasingly heavy towards the end of the movie. Due to the large panic attack and the overwhelming feeling he’d experienced . He was exhausted. Nathan slowly fell asleep next to Warren, his head slowly dropping onto his shoulder with a soft grunt. 

Snores sounded from him, Warren’s head slowly turning to stare at Nathan. 

“Finally, we're getting somewhere.” He gave a soft smile and watched him, turning the projector volume down the slightest and closing his own eyes.   
At least there was peace for the two, even if it was 11am.


	4. Flash Drive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathan does an oopsie and has to make it up to Warren

Shallow breaths came from the blond, small but gentle as he slept. Nathan was probably the most calm he had ever been in weeks… Months, even.  
Usually he’d sleep in Victoria’s room after a huge panic attack like his previous, but due to the whole… Jefferson issue, she wasn’t even looking at him. She’d completely discarded him. Nathan knew it was probably for her own safety and didn’t even blame her, but it still pricked at his heart to watch her ignore him. 

Which was why he felt himself relax around Warren the tiniest. The boy reminded him of Victoria in the smallest of ways. 

Warren helped him without a single question, just like Victoria would’ve. Maybe there wasn’t an ulterior motive, Nathan was just slow to that sort of thing. Everyone uses him. Everyone.

When his eyes opened, he still felt the shoulder he was resting against. At least he didn’t leave. Nathan groaned softly and opened his eyes, rubbing them tiredly, sitting up from his very uncomfortable position. He took one glance back at the brunet to see him lazing away, snores sounding from his mouth as he sat against the wall.  
He studied his features, glazing over his face intently with his eyes. Warren had the softest of jawlines, a bit of a chubby face with faint blush always on his cheeks. His long eyelashes curled upwards, pointing at the few freckles he had littered on his face. The mess of brown hair on his head laid there effortlessly, curling and flicking outwards. Messy and unkempt, but it obviously suited him. The light from the window shone a ray on his face, giving a beautiful yellow tone against the tanned skin. His chest rose slowly, moving up and down with ease, like he wasn’t sat against the world's uncomfiest wall. He looked completely...

Innocent. 

Nathan shook his head and growled at himself, getting up with a huff. He tried to ignore the nagging voice in the back of his head, knocking his hand on his skull as a warning. Something he usually did in private, like it would actually shut them up. Never did.   
“Right… That’s it- Wake up!” He snapped at Warren.

Warren jerked awake, grunting and opening his eyes.  
“Wha- Nathan?” He asked confusedly, rubbing his own eyes gingerly.

A glare formed on his face and he aimed it at Warren  
“Get out. You know the rule, no one goes in my room. Now fuck off-“ He stressed. 

“Hey, I’m not just gonna disappear-“ 

“I said fuck off! What don’t you fucking get about that?!” Nathan gave a final snap. 

Warren sighed and nodded, standing onto his feet. He grabbed the spare shirts he’d brought in, making his way to the door so Nathan didn’t yell anymore. It was about 3pm, about the time classes finished. At that rate, half the male dorm must have heard. 

Feet trailed out, the door closing behind him. Nathan glared and grabbed the closest thing in a complete fit of rage, which happened to be his projector, throwing it at the door. Of course he didn’t even remember the flash drive connected to it. It crunched under the pressure, remains of both the flash drive and projector laying on the floor.   
Regret immediately flushed through Nathan’s system, the fit of rage dying down at the crumpled plastic labelled ‘Warren’ on it. The flash drive didn’t seem like a cheap one either, one of those big storage ones. No wonder he had millions of movies on it. 

God, he had to fix that as well? 

——

Warren entered his own dorm room, trying to not be affected by the outburst Nathan had. His eyes wandered over the red brick walls and the posters he had lined on them, his messy desk and even messier bed. He’d cleaned Nathan’s room with ease, but his own was a struggle. 

He thought it was going so well, and he just… Flipped immediately. 

“Don’t take it personally, Warren…. He probably just had a bad dream.” He tried to convince himself, stuffing the unused t-shirt’s back in his drawers. He couldn’t help but feel like he’d forgotten something… Oh well. He could probably grab it when Nathan had calmed down. 

He pulled his shoes off and pulled a hoodie on himself, moving to sit at his desk and fill in for some of his other subjects. Chemistry homework wasn’t hard, there was just a lot of it. A hell of a lot. He sat there humming, going over bits and pieces that he could. At around 5pm, he peered his eyes over to the window, spotting Nathan try to sneak off the grounds, glancing from his window. He was in his familiar red jacket, but he had the red star wars t-shirt on underneath, tucked into his black jeans. Even though it was something small, it was reassurance that Warren wasn’t in Nathan’s bad books. That, or Nathan didn’t realise. 

Nathan had gotten in his car and sped off at a speed that just seemed way too hurried to be casual. He was gripping the wheel, almost racing to the store. He was going to get Warren the biggest and best flash drive, and he was going to do his best to fix it. Besides, maybe he could get this on his probation report to look good. Look like he’s changing for the better.

It was obviously because of that, and not because Nathan felt guilty at breaking Warren’s things already so early with them knowing. Certainly not that.   
Sarcasm is amazing. 

He parked up at the mall that was slightly out of town, grabbing his card and making his way inside, looking for the technology shop. The shop wasn’t too busy, but enough to make a crowd for Nathan to be unseen as possible. He slipped into the store, scanning the shelves. 

‘128GB Flash Drive- $45’ Nathan read as the biggest number, grabbing it and heading to the checkout.   
Before he knew it he was in his car again, speeding back to campus. He scrambled from his car and hurried into the campus, trying to ignore other students and completely avoiding David. He was lucky he wasn’t hounding him. 

His dorm door opened and slammed shut, causing Warren to peak his head out with a sigh, watching the door sadly. He wanted to talk, and he wanted to ask him several questions… But he left him alone, shutting his door slowly. He thought Nathan would probably come to him first, and he would let him do so. 

So the brunet sat back at his desk, finishing the last of the pile he had to finish. It took him at least another two hours, trying not to get distracted by the looming thought that Nathan would come and talk to him.   
Why was he even thinking this?? He’s supposed to hate the guy? Not be obsessed with him.   
He’s just a work partner, and he certainly isn’t a friend. Not after what he did to Kate, or Max, or even Chloe. Warren couldn't forgive what he did, even if he knew he didn’t want to in the first place.

Yet he was still sitting at his desk, yearning for a knock at the door. 

Time came to around 10pm, and Warren gave up. He pulled a shirt on, peeling his jeans off and leaving the boxers on. He crawled into his messy bed, clearing some of the chip crumbs from his dinner earlier. He settled down against the pillow, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh, trying his hardest to relax. It was like a weight in is stomach, something constantly keeping him up as a reminder, a ‘Don’t fall asleep, because what if he knocks?’. For an awake Warren, that didn’t come. Warren eventually passed out at 12am, snoring softly and leaning against his pillows; his faithful stuffed companion Geoff tucked into his arms. No judgement, it had been with him since he was a kid. 

Just like Warren had done previous, Nathan opened the door slowly.   
He’d spent his afternoon downloading films and buying movies, copying them onto the new flash drive for him. Then, when he’d finished downloading them, he wrote a simple note, and wrapped it up in Warren’s shirt, leaving it on his bedside table. He felt like the goddamn tooth fairy, having to sneak into the room and place it down before leaving quickly. No confrontation was the best for him, glad Warren was snoring. He made sure to remember the stuffed bear, because even still, he found that teasing people was still fun. 

——

Brown eyes settled on the paper note that read his name, the alarm blaring in the background. He slapped his alarm, tossing it to the floor with a soft groan. Pushing himself up, he grabbed the note and unfolded it. 

‘Warren. Srry I yelled at u. And I broke ur flash drive. And that I stole ur shirt.’ The note read in simple lettering, the handwriting hasty and rushed. Warren gave a sigh, rubbing his eyes. So he forgot the flash drive… And Nathan broke it.   
Warren flipped the paper over, seeing another small note. 

‘I downloaded those movies u said u wanted to watch. And a few more. Srry.’ 

The red t-shirt was unbundled, Warren giving a grin as he saw the new flash drive. A small plastic $5 one would’ve been just fine as a replacement, but Nathan had clearly tried to make an effort for him. Some more giddiness erupted out of Warren, who raced to his laptop to plug it in.

Nathan had gone all out, even labelling them and placing them into folders including genres and companies.   
“This must have taken him hours…” Warren whispered to himself as he clicked through the folders, chuckling at some of the movie choices. Some rom coms too, the boy didn’t have bad taste.

He finally had something to tease back at Nathan for, the chick flick and rom com folder were full. 

A smile sat on Warren’s face comfortably as he trailed through the movies, his heart beating fast. No one usually went to this much effort for him. Or at least until now.


End file.
